Final Moments
by Quarantine.Wings
Summary: Seijiro Macabe. The man sacrificed as a Kusbabi. Just a little short, in depth detail of his ceremony.


I'm so bummed not to see more in depth stories of this guy. So, here's a little one shot sort of his ritual in the 'hidden ceremony'

* * *

You imagine how odd your reactions were when you first happened upon this place. The rituals you found interesting and terrifying all at once. But most, you found fascinating, and were eager to learn more.

You sent him away so he wouldn't be pulled into it. You vaguely remember his face, the burning expression etched into your mind as he stow away, promising to come back, to come back for the two girls. You would make sure Itsuki's one request was held.

Even now, resting in this tight cage, held back by two locks so that you cannot escape; you don't wish too. You know something is to happen using you. You fear it, but you also are eager to participate in something so important. Time has blurred and you know not of how many days you've been here. It doesn't matter. You know your days are short. You see it in the behavior of those around you. So much different than how they welcomed you. In the Kurosawa house, you can only wait, and then when you finally accept your fate, the sound of footsteps reaches your ears. It's finally time.

* * *

The heavily dressed Ryokan Kurosawa beckons you with a hand. His face is covered behind a white sheet; his gaze though, bores through it and pierces you. He stands sturdy, as if expecting you to run. You simply nod and follow him out the door. He is surprised. From what you have seen, he is not a man easily surprised either, and soon he trusts you not to run off. It's a rare thing you did not expect. You accept that trust and follow him into the depths of the mansion. A large red room filled with priests, then down a pair of stairs, where two separate bridges lead to a large door, the only comfort the blue sky overhead. You have long since turned away the sun. Whether it has been a mere few days or more, the fate has been accepted, and you know nothing except for that now.

Still, you can admire the view for what it is, for soon you will be trapped in the depths of Hell. The large mansion itself, holding in a monstrous yet respected hole etched deep into the Earth. A place held at bay by those of past sacrifices. By the shrine maidens who graciously accepted their fate as well, even at the costs of their other halves.

The world fades away when you enter a boarded room. Darkened, it holds no signs of hope. Perhaps it is the best. Breaking connections will make the sacrifice easier. Or so you read, that it will less likely lead to a backfiring, in which the thing that cannot be spoken of will throw the entire village into a crazed and horrible state. Once that will doom everyone and everything inside.

You imagine such happenings. Though you know you should find this alarming and should be attempting to escape, you are held back by your curiosity. The idea that you will, in the end, be helping this place, no matter what pains it brings you. Even though you are merely another one to bear the pain and hold it back, you will be keeping others from feeling that pain, and the firsthand experience you imagine is a wonderful thing in your mind.

Sae and Yae spring to your mind when you enter an odd room. Held in the middle is a circular centerpiece, large columns surrounding the outside, and most importantly, a large bundle of ropes hanging in the middle.

You suddenly falter and take a step back, but the doors have been sealed shut, leaving you here with at least five others, one being the head who had so graciously welcomed you earlier. He glares at you now, standing out among the similarly dressed priests around you, and suddenly a pain strikes your leg. You fall, a scream ripping from your throat, and realize one of them has struck you. A knife sticks out from the back of your leg, crimson dripping from beneath your clothes. They take this moment to wrap a rope tightly around your arms to bind you. None show any mercy in their resolve, eager to get this done.

"The sacrifice must be in constant pain to stave off the wrath of the abyss. Great pain will be welcomed. If the sacrifice is to die, they shall no longer be worthy of a sacrifice, and we will have to start anew."

Ryokan's voice was loud and clear. Pain; that was what one must endure. Constant, agonizing pain, to which there would be no end. No matter the cost, it was too late to turn back down, and you wonder how long this will take. The pain is already agonizing. They tear and scrape at the cloth on your back, shred apart your arm, and at one point, you find yourself lifted and binded, hanging in the center above everyone while the priests poke and prod at you with long sticks. One slices harshly at you and you feel a tear run down your cheek. You can barely breathe, between the pain and the ropes holding you together. You're arm cannot be felt anymore. You wonder if you even still have such an arm, the sticky crimson coating you and staining the scratchy ropes a feint red. They hold you together so tight you cannot tell what has been cut off and what has not. Your arm hangs awkwardly, giving you a good indication that it is no longer a part of your body.

The pain, no matter how much they hurt you, grows worse and worse. If not praying, they whisper to each other about ways to apply more misery. Every moment you hope they stop, they find another way, and you scream until your lungs become hoarse. The clothes on your body have long ago shredded. Pieces have fallen to the floor, while the rest cling to sticky areas of your body, where blood has long ago dried. You're not even sure you have blood left anymore. You wonder how it is you are still alive. At one point you have resorted to begging. Pleading for them to stop. Instead, they prod you further. Begging seemed to provoke them further.

Scratches and wounds eventually liter every part of your body. You feel them lift a sharpened blade and scream when they cut off your left ear. It falls to the ground, the crimson rolling down the side of your face, your breathing ragged and hitching. Eventually Ryokan orders a stop and looks up at you. His face is still covered, but you sense his smile, and calls for two of the priests to lower you. The rest pray as you are lowered, and you feel the ropes digging into your body from entirely new angles. You can't find it in you to scream anymore. There's so much pain, yet you have lost the will to continue. A piece of you yells for not leaving this place when you had the chance. The hidden ceremony, the one you had an interest in and sent Ryozo away to avoid. You are glad, at least, that he wasn't forced to partake. You recall the twins once more. The memory of them handing you the key. The way they suddenly rushed into your room, one holding a map and the other insisting you leave as soon as possible. The hammer key, you recall vaguely. The priests' chants fill you with a strange sensation.

They carry you down into an area unknown, hidden; one you assume leads to the place nobody speaks of. The place that is feared. You are too filled with relief to care where they are taking you. You are just glad to finally be away from that terrible room, where the tortured your poor body.

Even through all the pain bearing your body you notice the smallest things, people, you assume, blindly walking though the tunnels. Many of them. You aren't sure, but you assume that they cannot see, for they swing their arms around strangely, trying to get their bearings, and their skin has turned ashen, as if they haven't seen sun in years.

"The Mourners are still causing a fuss," One of the priests' whisper.

"This sacrifice, Seijiro Makabe, shall calm the abyss. If it does not…"

The Earth rumbled, as if answering the question no one dared to answer. Even if he had to suffer in such a way, at least his death would be providence, a small price to pay to prevent the repentance everyone spoke of. He wondered how it was he could think so positively in such a circumstance.

"We are nearly there. Continue your praying. You, gather the mourners." Ryokan spoke. "Make sure the sacrifice is still breathing."

You can hear them talk about you. Even though your eyes are closed, and your body is drained of all fluid, you can't find it in you to tire. You resist the urging to fall into a deep sleep. Even if you so wanted, you are too strong of a person. A small pressure is felt beneath your neck and your eyes open to see a priest standing over you. You sense the overwhelming relief when he sees you still alive and breathing.

"The sacrifice is ready," He answers easily.

You feel them descending slowly, deeper and deeper, and you wonder just how deep it is you are going. The Earth rumbles more. The Earth shaking more violently. You are close, you know, especially when you feel the priests' carrying you stumble when one shakes the ground hard. You groan bitterly when the ropes pull at you uncomfortably. This seems to please those around you. The pain is becoming vivid once more, and again, you feel a small slash on your arm. This one is different. The priests' except for Ryokan, have begun praying, more priests slamming their staffs into the ground as they carry you down sets of stairs. Tori gates loom over head and the chanting grows louder, until finally, you stop.

"The sacrificed person shall become a Kusabi," Ryokan spoke loudly.

A few chanting calls is all that answer you, and you feel another slash on the other arm.

"The abyss calls for blood. The blood of a firstborn twin. Yet, we have no such twins to offer, as we have been betrayed by an act of selfishness. To appease the abyss, we must pray it will accept our current sacrifice. The tormented soul of this man in pain, etched into the very soul of him, will be our saving grace." He announces loudly.

You hear him whisper soft praying words, and realize they're directed at you, asking to help save the village. The ropes pull and you feel yourself being lifted, swinging, and the suddenly falling. Your heart thumps loudly and the falling sensations sends your stomach into a dizzying nausea. Even those can't distract you from the sudden presence around you. You hear a loud rumble around you. Soft bells chiming mix with the sounds of screaming cheers from above, as you fall deeper into the blackness of the Hell they have thrown you into.


End file.
